Truth and lies: stories of asylum

It is often assumed that a country with strong human rights standards will also offer a higher quality of asylum.

Australia’s reputation in upholding human rights is marred by its treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. Many believe the regime of offshore processing and strict broader controls, including mandatory and indefinite detention, is a serious and flagrant breach of human rights.

This panel discussion will look at the relationship between a government's respect for the rights of its own citizens and the regard for refugee rights, exploring how the protection of refugees and asylum seekers should be seen in the broader context of the protection of human rights.

Facilitated by: 

Merissa Van Der Linden, CEO of ASeTTS (Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors)

Merissa has a strong background in human services and human rights, with hands-on and leadership roles in a range of state and national organisations, including Community Vision Inc WA, the WA Disability Services Commission, National Disability Services WA and most recently at Activ WA, where she was the head of Quality Safety Health and Environment. Merissa holds Bachelor of Science (Developmental Psychology) and Master of Human Rights degrees.

Panelists:

• Banafsheh Driver (Lived Experience Speaker, Red Cross),
• Esther Deng (Acting General Manager, Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees) and
• Abdullahi Ali (Global Impact Strategist & Community Organizer)

In Conversation: Human Rights

In Conversation is a monthly series of thought-provoking topics exploring big questions, ideas and human narratives. Curated in collaboration with The Museum of Freedom and Tolerance (MFT), this series brings human rights stories to the foreground.

The eight-part discussion explores a range of contemporary human rights issues through stories of resilience and action, shining a spotlight on overcoming prejudices in the face of persistent challenges and slow progress. It asks the question, how do human rights affect us in our daily lives, and how can we better acknowledge our responsibilities in balancing any given right with the rights of others?

In this series

Thursday 14 April | Truth and lies: stories of asylum

Thursday 12 May | No safe harbour: raising awareness of trafficking

Thursday 9 June | Whose rights are we protecting?

Thursday 14 July | Celebrating NAIDOC: in conversation with Dr. Hannah McGlade

Thursday 11 August | What does climate change have to do with human rights?

Thursday 8 September | When racism and sexism collide

Thursday 13 October | In the digital era, it’s a fine line

Thursday 10 November | Speaking equally: who is listening to who?